a new warning that the coronavirus death toll could explode yet again in the united states because some aren't getting the point. that large crowds without masks are not a good mix. we'll get into that this hour. also -- >> democrats held the darkest and angriest and gloomiest convention in american history. >> not-so-sleepy joe has president trump repainting his dnc picture, while railing against mail-in voting and suggesting the election will be

rigged. also this hour, a kremlin critic believed to have been poisoned flown out of russia. german doctors trying to save his life and figuring out what made him so sick. i'll talk with the russian security expert about that. hello, everyone, we're live from cnn headquarters in atlanta. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. i'm natalie allen and this is "cnn newsroom." and thank you for joining us. the coronavirus pandemic keeps pushing case numbers and deaths higher in the united states, along with warnings that the death toll could nearly double by december if the u.s. doesn't shape up. according to johns hopkins university more than 175,000

people have died out of 5.6 million infected. one influential model predicts it could get much worse, 310,000 deaths by december. that's at least 1,000 americans dead every day for the next three months. the model also warns that number could rise to a staggering 2,000 per day or more once december begins. >> we have a worse scenario in what we release. and that's many, many more deaths. in fact, by the time rolls around, if we don't do anything, the daily death toll would be higher than the 2,000 deaths a day we would expect by december. it could be 6,000 deaths a day. it depends on what we could do, as individuals and what gotts do. >> dr. chris murray there and other experts say that number

could fall by 70,000 if people wore masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines. researchers warn that superspreader events spreading the pandemic. this motorcycle rally in south dakota has been linked to two dozen covid cases. >> we're hearing that there's been 26 people have been confirmed to be infected in several states, including south dakota, minnesota and nebraska. it can take a long time to get test results back. they expect the numbers to go up. krov coronavirus have followed the school year. 400 cases have been reported on college campuses in 19 states. and a warning from the world health organization here. >> it took three waves for the disease to infect most of the

susceptible individuals and then settle down into a seasonal pattern. this virus is not displaying similar wave-like pattern. >> our nick watt has more on the latest, plus a look at how the pandemic is affecting some individual u.s. states. >> reporter: today, more covid-19 deaths logged in arkansas than ever before. >> we are not back to normal. >> reporter: on average, more than 1,000 americans have died every day for about a month now. >> hopefully this week and next week, you'll start seeing the death rate start to drop. >> reporter: his optimism is based on the nationwide new infection rate dropping at the moment. but -- >> i think we're going to see in the fall another spike. i don't see it not happening, given the burden of disease that's circulating in the community today. >> reporter: there's a width already. >> middle america is getting

stuck. we don't need to have a third wave in the heartlands. >> reporter: cases climbing in illinois, south dakota. now, looking sunnier in the south. the rate of new cases falling in texas. even though, today in dallas -- >> all the medical professionals were unanimous in their recommendation there should be no in-person learning on september the 8th. >> reporter: of the 101 largest districts in the nation, 64 now reopening online only, despite pressure from the president and some of his acolytes who are not medical professionals. july 8th, the president tweeted this -- in germany, schools are open with no problems. that day, 356 new cases in germa germany. yesterday, more than four-times that. new york crushed the curve. still nervous about schools. >> they're working out what the plan would be.

i would havele a lot of questions. parents have a lot of questions. this is a risky prop kags. >> reporter: cases confirmed on campuses in 19 states. some reverting to remote learning. gatherings like this proving a problem. penn state's president asking the question -- do you want to be the person responsible for sending everyone home? in neshg state, syracuse university has just imposed an interim suspension on 23 students after a gathering in a quad there. and in purdue, indiana, they have suspended 26 after a party. at purdue, they plan to test every week, all staff on campus and have random tests of students throughout the semester. nick watt, cnn, los angeles. now, we turn to the race for the white house. democratic presidential nominee

joe biden is looking to build on momentum coming off of his party's national convention this week. he and running mate kamala harris are highlighting what sets them apart from president trump. the two gave their joint interview on friday. biden says he would handle the coronavirus pandemic more effectively and says no measure is off the table. would you be prepared to shut this country down again? >> i would be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives. we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus. that's the fundamental flaw of this administration's thinking to begin with. in order to keep the country running and moving and the economy growing and people employed, you have to fix the virus. you have to deal with the virus. >> if the scientists say shut it down? >> i would shut it down. i would listen to the scientists. mail-in voting is another

contentious issue with the white house threatening to veto a proposed bill that could provide funding to the postal service. it's likely to come up at next week's republican national convention. president trump is giving a preview of how he plans to counter joe biden's messaging. our jim acosta has more about it from the white house. >> reporter: eager to get back on the attack, the president took aim at the theme running through joe biden's speech at the democratic national convention, that the trump administration has been a time of darkness. >> they spent four-straight days attacking america as racist and a horrible country, that must be redeemed. and yet, look at what we've accomplished. until the plague came in, look at what we accomplished. now, we're doing it again. where joe biden sees american darkness, i see american greatness. >> reporter: it was a carefully scripted rebuttal to a biden speech that was nowhere near

sleepy. >> this is our moment. this is our mission. may history be able to say, that the end of this chapter of american darkness began here, tonight, as love and hope and light, join in the battle for the soul of the nation. >> reporter: yet, in front of a crowd of conservative activists, the president warned that biden presidency would lead to unrest on the streets that happened in mr. trump's watch. >> i'm the only thing standing between the american dream, than total anarchy and madness and ky yo cha chaos. >> think they i'm trying to steal an election. just the opposite. i want the fair results of an election. >> reporter: at a senate hearing of mail slowdowns, louis dejoy denied he is trying to rig the election for the president, after revelations that processing machines have been removed at postal facilities

across the country. >> will you be bringing back my mail sorting machines that have been removed since you became postmaster general? >> they are not needed. >> reporter: they met but insists the conversation was not about the election. >> did you discuss the changes or the impact with the president or anyone at the white house? and remind you, that you're under oath. >> i've never spoken to the president about the postal service, other than to congratulate me when i accepted the position. >> reporter: the president has yet to provide evidence there will be fraud on election night, and he is vowing to send police officers to polling stations. >> we're going to have sheriffs and law enforcement and hopefully u.s. attorneys. and we're going to have everybody. and attorneys general. >> reporter: on the q-anonmovement. >> will you dismiss it? >> i just did, john. >> reporter: mike pence tried to

dance around questions about the baseless conspiracy theory. >> i don't know anything about that conspiracy theory. and i dismiss it out of hand. >> reporter: the president doing dodging his own, insisting he habit be hasn't been speaking to steve bannon. but sources tell cnn, mr. trump and bannon have spoken in recent weeks, despite what the president has said. >> i haven't been dealing with him for a long period of time, as most of the people in this room know. i haven't been dealing with him at all. >> over the weekend, the president will be dweering up to his convention, a return to american greatness, a title that the president is in damage control mode as the nation is reeling from the pandemic. natasha lindstaedt joins me now to talk about the convention season here in the u.s.

good morning, natasha. >> good morning. >> to listen to biden and to listen to mr. trump, it almost sounds like the united statis e two different planets. the democrats painted the dark future if trump is elected. what do you expect from him with the convention this coming week? will the president paint a dark future under a biden presidency? >> i think that's what trump is going to do. the main theme of the republican convention, if biden is elected, because biden is, according to trump, a puppet of the democratic progressive wing of the party, that all of our cities and all of our suburbs are going to be completely taken over by unrest and chaos. he is painting a picture that the world will be in an unstable place if biden is elected. and i think the convention is

going to look very different from the democratic convention, which it did talk about the threat of democratic backflighting. that the candidate, the incumbent is actually leading the country down to democratic decay. the democrats focused on optimism and on unity. we saw how they were reaching out to median voters and moderates and independents. i don't think we will see that in the republican convention. i think it will be playing to trump's base. it won't be trying to reach out to independents. it won't be about a message of unity. i think one of the best examples of that is the fact they are including this couple that had brandished weapons on protesters. i think that really is a good representation of what the convention is going to be about. i think one of the biggest differences is also going to be

that the democratic convention, equally showcased other democratic party members and biden. i think we see that the republican convention will be all about trump. the party of trump can be personalistic. and trump will feature heavily in every, single day. >> if he is only sticking to appealing to his base, will that hurt him in the november election? won't he need bigger numbers beyond his base? >> i think the strategy of the trump team is to really motivate the base and just ensure that all of them vote. at the same time, trying to engage in voter suppression. trying to ensure that whoever would support the democratic party does not vote. and part of that is trying to undermine the postal service. and to make it harder to vote by mail.

i know that hearings are going on, where the postmaster general assured everyone that the mail is going to be delivered. this is the first time in my lifetime that it's even an issue. and it's become more critical than ever, not just because people are expecting checks and expecting prescriptions to come through the mail. >> natasha, thank you so much. we started to lose your audio there. we really appreciate you joining us. natasha lynindstaedt for us. tune in at 7:00 in the morning in hong kong and here in primetime in the united states. full coverage and analysis also on cnn.com. coming up, iowa helped donald trump win the presidency in 2016. but are voters there having second thoughts about the

upcoming election. we'll talk with him. plus, a frequent foe of vladimir putin is going to get treatment in germany after supporters got him out of russia. was he poisoned? we'll talk with an expert on russian security coming up. we support memorable moments, concentration - in hectic times . and focus to win the day. unlike ordinary memory supplements... neuriva's clinically proven ingredients fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. take the neuriva challenge with our money-back guarantee!

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call the number on your screen or visit wish.org to grant wishes today. live video from berlin, germany. a medical flight carrying gravely ill russian opposition leader alexei navalny has landed in berlin. innavalny being transferred to hospital in the german capital where he will receive treatment. russian doctors finally approved the transfer after wrangling with german doctors. he is in a coma. and those closest to him believe he was poisoned, although the russian doctors dispute this. amateur video from the flight where he fell ill, you can hear him groaning in pain, as medics evacuate him.

the plane made an emergency landing where navalny was taken to a nearby hospital. joining us from london to talk about the story is a senior associate fellow at the royal united services institute. thanks so much for coming on. first up, navalny will receive medical care in germany. what we know, the alleged allegation of poisoning, what is your reaction? >> it seems likely that it was poisoning. the official line was being contradicted by the next. it's a question of not so much was he poisoned but who by. >> that's a question that will be investigated. how important is navalny. to those opposed to vladimir putin, he is a vocal critic.

he has millions of followers online. he was in siberia. how important is he to the anti-putin movement? >> he is important. a symbol and an organizer. it's possible to organize, but he was blocked from president. he is very important as an organizer. he is trying to create a national party, bringing together a variety of different forces that are critical of putin. that makes him the most scary for the kremlin. >> talk about russia's history here, the kremlin. its alleged killing of dissid t dissidents. journalists have been shot, others have been poisoned. and the risks that people like navalny to speak out. >> exactly.

when this russia feels it has to kill, it has no qualms of doing that. navalny was shrewd in knowing how far he could go. he faced arrest many times and there was suspected poisoning. but nevertheless, he had that sense. what this implies is the line of the permissible has shifted. the regime is concerned with what it has seen. and it could be that navalny was doing, made him a little too uncomfortable. at the same time, it's entirely possible that it was one of naval navalny's other enemies, one of the corrupt schemes he exposed that decided to go against him, assuming that the kremlin would back him up. unfortunately, this is a regime that it's not just the state that kills, it's a variety of powerful figures connected to the state. >> you mentioned it, the other things that are going on right

now. let's talk about the timing. the protests have erupted in the far east corner of russia, as you said, over vladimir putin's continue continued rule over russia. people in the streets of belarus, the associate republicarepublic. will this alleged act against navalny quell the unrest or, perhaps, embolden it. >> it's unlikely to quell the n unrest. people were protesting the underlying nature of the situation. navalny himself, often when he was asked, how come you're alive, would say because i'm more dangerous to the kremlin dead than alive. obviously, we hope that navalny pulls through. if he doesn't, he may become a powerful symbol as a martyr. if he does, will his will be redoubled or diminished by this close brush with death? one thing that is crucial, is navalny's movement, now, there's

a whole new generation of younger protest leaders, who will take over if need be. we shouldn't think that even if navalny's taken out of the picture, the protest movement disappears. >> absolutely. we haven't confirmed that he is actually in germany. we presume so. talk with us about germany's involvement here. but how about other world leaders and countries? what has been their response to these alleged acts reportedly by the kremlin? >> the thing is, an attack against a russian citizen is harder for outside countries to get involved with. we have a call for an outside investigation. and clearly, the hospital in berlin will be looking at blood

simples samples to see if it was proven. cynics say the doctors delayed for him going to germany was for time that poison to dissipate in his system. while navalny is in umsk, international pressure was muted in a way because navalny was a hostage. the danger is it makes putin dig in his heels more. now that navalny is out, it gives us more freedom to talk directly. the key thing is this -- is there going to be evidence of poison? if the doctors can find evidence of poison in navalny's system, that creates a whole new reason for international pressure. that will be the crucial issue at the moment. we have confirmed that he is in germany. in fact, we have an update on his condition. he is in stable condition.

the germans say they have accomplished their mission. looks like things are looking up for him. what do you expect if he recovers? and how challenging will this be for him, pro-alleged poisoning here? >> navalny has proven to be indomitable. he has been arrested 13 times. sent to prison. so, his brother being sent to prison. it's very unlikely that when he survives, as it seems likely, he will decide to disappear and go and write his memoirs somewhere. he will certainly return to the fray. of course, this represents quite a distinct escalation. and the movement will have to's in a more hostile environment.

the putin regime, though it may lost for years is feeling like it's a dying state. it becomes more dangerous, not less. it becomes more and more scared about opposition. so, i feel like what we're going to be seeing is the navalny movement moving into an aggressive phase and have to be more careful about security, not just navalny but other brave russians that protest. >> you've offered great insights into this story. thank you so much. belarus' main opposition leader says she will not seek the presidency again if the country holds an election. she fled to lithuania after the august 9th vote. she is calling for more workers to strike in protest.

demonstrators held hands to form a human chain. more protests are expected over the weekend. le with belarusian president is accusing the united states of leading the protests. europe thought it had beaten back the coronavirus weeks ago. but new infections are increasing in spain, france and other european nations. next here, how the countries are responding in a live report. it's pretty inspiring the way families

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i'm natalie allen. you're watching cnn newsroom. we appreciate it. weeks after strict lockdown measures were lifted across europe, coronavirus cases are surging in numerous countries again. on saturday, germany had its highest number of daily infections since april, more than 2,000. infections had been climbing in germany since late july. spain reported 8,000 cases in 24 hours on friday, one of the highest daily increases since restrictions ended. and french health officials warn friday that the spread of the virus is accelerating there. daily cases passed 4,000 for the second-consecutive day. let's go to london. you have to wonder, they took such strict measures. and things were looking good. suddenly, it's all different.

>> that's right, natalie. the world health organization says cases have been rising steadily since the country started reopening their societies. the situation seems to be most concerning at the moment in spain, where health authorities say the virus is out of control in several parts of the country and in the capital, madrid. local government has asked people in the most affected parts of the city to stay at home. now, spain has the highest rate of the infection, out of the entire european continent, according to the european center for disease control. other countries are hitting very high numbers. b poland had the highest daily s cases since the pandemic began. and france and germany are hitting surges since the peak of the pandemic in april. here in britain, where i am, the r-number, that measures how many people in average, one infected

person passes the virus on to, is 0 .9 and.9 and 1.1. authorities are concerned about birmingham, which is teetering on the edge of a local lockdown because of the high number of infections. the world health organization says the entire increase of cases is because people have dropped their guard. they're more relaxed and the restrictions have started to peel off in the last few weeks. as colder weather comes to the european continent in the next few weeks and months, experts are worried what is going to happen whemn people are indoors rather than outdoors. >> two steps back and one forward in the near future.

a lockdown and a new nightly curfew are in effect in lebanon, one of the nation's latest efforts to stop coronavirus from spreading there. from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., all but essential businesses have been ordered to close. on friday, officials reported 628 new cases. that's the highest single-day number of infections since the pandemic began. the number of cases in lebanon has doubled since the chemical explosion on august 4th that killed at least 180 people and wounded 6,000. now, we turn to china. meantime, intelligence agencies are saying, that officials in wuhan kept officials in beijing in the dark for weeks about the coronavirus outbreak. that's where this began.

and chinese party officials later sought to cover up their knowledge of covid-19 from the rest of the world. president trump has blamed china for the pandemic, and accusing beijing of intentionally allow ing the virus to spread. beijing residents will no longer be required to wear masks when they go outdoors. the government is lifting the mandate after 22 cases were reported across all of china friday. just 1 -- 22. selena wang joins me from hong kong with more about it. good morning. that looks good in the number of cases we're seeing. is that behind this decision on masks? >> natalie, great to be with you. this is a clear signal in a the

beijing government is confident they can keep the cases at zero. beijing was grappling with a new outbreak to the wholesale market. rolling out testing measures, testing millions in a matter of days, as well as instituting a partial lockdown. now, new government regulations say that people no longer have to wear masks outdoors, as long as they aren't coming into close contact with many people. many people continue to wear their masks. some say it makes them feel safer. others say they don't think it's socially acceptable to go mask-free. listen to what this resident had to say. >> i think i can take off my mask but i need to see if others accept it. i think that people would be scared. usually when i'm out running, i'm not wearing a mask.

>> after months of enforcement, it can take time for people to adjust to the new behavior. even in precovid times, wearing a mask was common, especially on days with a lot of pollution. >> i stand with the young woman there. even if they lift masks in the united states, which is likely a long way off, i'm going to wear one for a while. selena wang for us in hong kong, thank you very much. see you again soon. california, scorching temperatures and dire predictions, the worse may be yet to come, as firefighters battle more than 500 wildfires. derek van dam will talk about it coming up next. also, looking at two potential powerful storms on-track toward the u.s. gulf coast. you can see them right there. we'll get the latest coming up.

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terrifying and tragic images continue to come from california, like this one right here. firefighters short on resources, battling hundreds of wildfires yet again across the state. lightning strikes started most of them. and a heat wave is fueling them. 560 wildfires have scorched nearly 1 million acres with the worst fires around the san francisco bay area. at least four people have been killed. california's governor is pleading for federal help and help from other states. he says all of california's firefighting resources are already in the battle and it is not nearly enough. meantime, much of the gulf coast is keeping an eye on two

powerful tropical storms. lara is expected to strengthen into a hurricane and is tracking towards new orleans. and marco became a tropical storm friday evening. he could threaten houston, texas, next week. let's discuss all of it with our meteorologist derek van dam staying on top of both of these stories. starting in california. you have to feel for those folks, derek. >> the topics we're covering these days is on par with 2020. now, the latest figures have the second and the fourth-largest, in terms of acreage, forest fires burning out of control across california right now. these are the lightning complex fires that they grouped together, several smaller fires they have associated with what is a complex lightning fire. you can imagine the emissions this is releasing into the atmosphere.

the smoke is traveling eastward across the country. it will eventually make its way to the east coast. look out for spectacular sunsets, to say the least. more smoke emissions were measured by satellites than any other point since measurements have taken place in the early 2000s. how much smoke has been emitted into the upper levels of the atmosphe atmosphere. the largest fires over california, that totals 600,000 burned acres. that's double what 2019 season had burned in california. that puts it into perspective, the scope of what's taking place. 90 burning out of control. 20 found in the state of california. fire season hasn't peaked yet. we're breaking records there and

across the tropical atlantic, as well. two tropical systems heading towards the gulf of mexico. the potential to impact the gulf coast states simultaneously, in the early parts of next week. this is incredible, two cones of uncertainty in the same area. water temperatures in the upper 80s. that's like jet fuel for strengthening hurricanes. tropical storm marco. tropical storm lara. both in different locations but pose threats in the gulf coast. a lot to keep track of. >> sure thing. wouldn't it be great if the rain could fall on california. >> wish i could do it. >> good to see you, derek. we'll be talking about that when we see you tomorrow. >> yep. okay. many places in iowa are

still without power, more than ten days after a powerful windstorm called a derecho blasted through the midwest. the system roared through with hurricane-force winds, as you see, damaging structures. homes, schools and businesses, as well. there's 11,000 electrical outages in lynn, the state's second-largest county. and then more than 1,200 customers are without power in three other counties. we're thinking of all of you. it's got to be hard to be without power that long. earlier this week, president trump visited iowa, which he won by almost ten points in 2016. we've come through for you. we always will come through for iowa. >> but ryan young reports not all iowans are feeling the love for trump this time around. >> unfortunately, the ear is on

the part of the stalk that's dead. >> a massive windstorm destruction, seen all over the cornfield. nearly two weeks after it swept across iowa with 100-mile-per-hour winds. >> wow. >> just kept going. and you know, 45 minutes into it, and it's still blowing. we're seeing the trees and the limbs and the power's off. >> reporter: in cedar rapids, one of the hardest hit cities, 800 buildings suffered a partial collapse. more than 20 school buildings damaged. >> the whole storm that was 70 miles across was a tornado. i've never seen anything like it. >> reporter: nicki works at a cedar rapids bar. >> we recovered from the flood of '08. and now, we do it all over again, with no support. >> reporter: president trump visited iowa tuesday, one day after signing a disaster declaration. but the $45 million in aid, only covers a portion of $4 billion

that the republican governor requested. but additional funding was approved for the cedar rapids area thursday. not nearly enough. >> he came by for a photo op? no. i want to see boots on the ground. he needed to see this. >> reporter: other iowans in the bar are pleased with the support. ryan reeve says trump can count on his vote. >> i think he means well. there's some things -- some of his tweets and stuff like that, you know? he's not a politician. he never was. and he's admitted he's never been a politician. i think deep inside, i think he's doing what he thinks he needs to do to help. >> reporter: a monmouth university poll taken one week before the storm, showed trump leading biden, 48% to 45% within the margin of error. losing iowa six electoral votes may not cost trump the election, but it may signal trouble for

trump and other key states on election night. >> there was a conversation that iowa may be a swing state. you buy that? >> absolutely. yeah. i work in a bar. i talk to people of all walks of life, all political, religious backgrounds. and i heard people, republicans even saying, i had a guy on the patio saying, i have always voted republican. this will be the first time that i don't. >> reporter: back on steve's farm, the fourth generation farmer says he's on the fence about who he will vote for as he waits to see how the federal and state assistance will help farmers pick up the pieces. >> i guess that i have to believe that our elected officials will get their heads together and get us some help in some way. >> reporter: in 2008 and 2012, president obama was able to win iowa. but in 2016, president trump was able to flip 31 counties.

farmers have been having a tough year. they are hoping for assistance, with everything going on. ryan young, cnn, chicago. on another front, involving iowa, the university of iowa is cancelling four sports programs due to the financial impact of our pandemic. officials announced they will be shutting down men's gymnastics and tennis, as well as both men's and women's swim and diving programs. the school projects $100 million in lost revenue due to the postponement of football. students on scholarships in the sports will be able to keep them until they graduate or transfer. we all will miss our sports this fall. actress lori loughlin said she was acting out of love for her daughters. next, how her cheating scheme has landed her with a prison sentence. these folks, they don't have time to go to the post office

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a new development in the u.s. college admission scandal. tv star lori loughlin tearfulliedtearfully ed admitted to losing her moral

compass as she and her husband were sentenced to prison on friday. her husband will serve five months and pay $250,000 fine. both are required to surrender to prison officials in november. they admitted to paying $500,000 to get their daughters into the university of southern california. we want to end on this one. the national zoo in washington has a new addition. can you stand it? a giant panda cub was born on friday to 22-year-old mei xiang. the zoo staff said she picked up and cradled her baby. all cubs move to china when they're 4 years old. zoo directors called the birth a much-needed moment of joy. we need more of that these days. i'm natalie allen. thanks for watching this hour.

i invite you to follow me on instagram. and to stay with us, my colleague, kim, is up next. see you tomorrow. awesome internet.

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♪ a shocking new forecast predicts a huge jump in the number of americans who will die from coronavirus unless people change their behavior. we'll have the details for you. plus, hundreds of fires burning and smoke polluting the air. california struggles to get wildfires under control. we'll tell you what's in the forecast. and fighting for his